Fish Fête

I took this photo during fish fête, an annual festival in the desert of Haute Guinea. These festivals take place after the dry season, when there is a lake left where the river usually flows during rainy season. These lakes are not fished until the day of fish fête, when there are ceremonies and dancing to celebrate. The day of the fête, there is dancing and music. After the ceremony, hundreds of people gather around the lake until a signal tells them to begin fishing. Everyone descends on the lake at once, using homemade stick cages, spears or fishing nets. The women even roll up their skirts to catch fish with their bare hands.